Combined ironing-board and step-ladder.



No. 804,966. PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

B. P. D. MILLER.

COMBINED IRONING BOARD AND STEP LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23. 1904.

3 SHBBTS-SHBET l.

PATENTED NOV. 21, 1905.

B. F. D. MILLER.

COMBINED IRONING BOARD AND STEP LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED N0v. 21, 1905.

B. F. D. MILLER. COMBINED IRONING BOARD AND STEP LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEBT 8.

UNITED STATES PATENT onrion.

BENJAMIN F. D. MILLER, OF WO-OSTER, OHIO.

COMBINED IRONlNG-BOARD AND STEP-LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed July 23,1904. Serial No. 217,789.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, BENJAMIN F. D.MILLER,

a citizen of the United States,residing at Wooster, in the county ofWayne and State of Ohio, h aveinvented certain new andusefulImprovements in aOombined Ironing-Board and Step- Ladder, of whichthe following is a specifica-' tion.

My invention relates to an improvement in a combined ironing board andstep ladder; and the object of theinvention is to provide an improvedcombination step-ladder and ironing-board which is simple inconstruction and operation and comparatively inexpensive and which maybe conveniently used either as an ironing board or step ladder wheneverdesired and which may be compactly folded together when not in use.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention, showing the parts intheir proper position when being used as a step-ladder. Fig. 2 is a viewof the same when used as an ironing-board- Fig. 3 is a detailed view ofa modification of the sliding hinge-bar fastening. Fig. 4is alongitudinal sectional view of my invention, showing the position of theparts when used as an ironingboard. Fig. 5 is a side View of the samewhen folded. view of the ironing-board proper, showing a detailed viewof the sliding hinge-bar fastening beneath. Fig. 7 is a detailed view ofone of the clamps secured to the brace-legs of the ironing-board andstep-ladder. Fig. 8 is a detail view showing a portion of one of thebrace-legs in section with the bent ends of the hinge-bars extendingthrough the brace-leg.

Similar characters of reference indicate like parts throughout all thefigures of the drawings.

. Referring now to the drawings, 1 designates the ironing-board proper,to one end of which there is hingedly secured the step ladder proper,comprising two side bars 2, connected by the usual steps 3 and the topboard 4.

Near the end of the ironing-board 1, above referred to, there ispivotally secured an aux- Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional iliary board5, secured at each side of the board 1 by means of the slotted arms 6,secured at each side of said auxiliary board 5 and adapted to be shiftedand turned to any desired position on the pivot-pins 7. The abuttingends of the board 1 and auxiliary board 5 are beveled so as to engageeach other when in alinement, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawings,so that the board 5 cannot be moved or forced below the position thereshown.

8 designates brace-legs secured to each other by means of a pair ofsubstantially U-shaped hinge-bars 9 and 9, one of which, 9, is pivotallysecured to one of the steps 3 of the stepladder proper, and the other,9, of which is pivotally secured beneath the ironing-board 1 by means'ofa sliding hinge-bar fastening 10, provided with a sleeve 11, slidablymounted upona longitudinal guide-rod 12, mounted immediately beneath theironing-board 1 and secured thereto by means of brackets 13, which takeover the ends thereof. The free ends of the hinge-bars are bent at rightangles and pass through openings in the legs 8 and are screw-threaded toreceive the thumb nuts 18*. These bent ends form pivots for thehinge-bars.

14 designates grooves formed on the inner sides of the brace-legs 8 andadapted to receive the side arms of the U-shaped hingebars 9 and 9 whenclamped in position by means of the clamps 15, slidably secured to thebrace-legs 8 by means of the staples 16, secured to the outer sides ofsaid brace-legs 8.

17 designates a second set of staples secured to the. outer sides ofsaid brace-legs 8 and designed to receive the hooked ends 18 of theclamps 15 when the same are not in use, as shown in Fig. 5 of thedrawings.

It will be seen upon referring to Fig. 7 that the hooked ends of theclamps 15 are provided with a wedge or pointed end, as at a, to morereadily engage and clamp down the side arms of the U-shaped hinge-bars 9and 9.

18 designates thumb-nuts secured to the outer bent ends of the side armsof the hingebars 9 and 9, which pass through the bracelegs 8.

19 designates pins secured to the side bars 2 of the step-ladder anddesigned to take LOO through the slotted arms 6 of auxiliary board.grooves 14 of the brace-legs 8.

in any desired position to support a scrubbucket or other article whenthe device is used as a step-ladder.

21 designates a thumb-screw mounted in the sliding sleeve 11, and bymoving the sleeve 11 to the right or left on the guide-rod I 12 theironing-board 1 is raised or lowered to any desired height and locked inthat position by tightening the thumb-screw to the guiderod 12. In thesame way the inclination of the step-ladder may be varied.

When desiring to change the parts from their position shown in Fig. 2 asan ironingboard to that shown in Fig. 1 as a step-ladder, the device isturned up on end with the pointed end of the ironing-board resting onthe floor. The auxiliary board 5 is brought to assume the position shownin Fig. 1. The clamps 15 are loosened and turned outwardly, as shown inFig. 5. The thumb-nuts 18 are loosened so that the side arms of theU-shaped hinge-bars 9 and 9 may be thrust out-of the The littlethumb-screw 21 under the ironing-board 1 is loosened, and the brace-legs8 are turned over and upwardly, turning the two U shaped hinge-bars 9and 9 and bringing the two brace-legs 8 to assume a position alongsideof the pointed end of the ironing-board, with the ends of the brace-legs8 (formerly the upper ends) now resting on the floor. In this positionthe hinge-bar 9 can enter the groove 14 of the legs, and the hinge-bar 9serves as a brace, extending from the legs to the stepladder.

The clamps 15 are now clamped about the side arms of the U-shapedhinge-bar 9*. The thumb-nuts 18 and the thumb-screw 21 are tightened anda perfect step-ladder is formed. The purpose of the brace-legs 8 whenthe device is in this position is merely to properly brace thestep-ladder as against any swinging or lateral motion.

By loosening the clamps and thumb-nuts and set-screw the parts may bereturned to their former position to form an ironingboard and thenfolded, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, or the parts may be foldedat once in this position.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification of the sliding hinge-bar fastening 10,in which the bearing for the hinge-bar 9 is formed by alaterally-extending wire 22, having its ends bent to form loops 23,engaging the hingebar, instead of having the metal bent around to form atube-bearing 24:, as shown most clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings.

It is evident from the foregoing that I provideacombined ironing-boardand step-ladder which is the embodiment of simplicity and durability ofconstruction, which can be manufactured at a very small price, which canbe quickly adjusted for use, and which when not in use occupies a verysmall amount of space and which is efiicient and practical in everyrespect.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principles orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcut, is

1. A combined ironing-board and step-ladder, consisting of anironing-board, a stepladder hingedly attached to one end thereof, anauxiliary board pivotally attached thereto, brace-legs pivotally securedto said ironingboard and step-ladder, by means of a pair ofsubstantially U-shaped hinge-bars connecting said brace-legs, and meansfor securing said U-shaped hinge-bars to said brace-legs.

2. A combined ironing-board and step-ladder, consisting of anironing-board, a. stepladder hingedly attached thereto, brace-legspivotally secured to said ironing-board and step-ladder, by means of apair of U-shaped hinge-bars connecting said brace-legs one of which ispivotally secured to the step-ladder and the other of which is pivotallysecured beneath the ironing-board, a longitudinal guide-rod mountedbeneath the ironing-board, a hinge-bar fastening provided with a sleeveslidably mounted upon said longitudinal guide-rod and hingedly connectedto said lastmentioned U-shaped hinge-bar, and means for securing saidU-shaped hinge-bars to said brace-legs. I

3. In a combined ironing-board and stepladder, the combination with anironingboard, and a step-ladder hingedly secured to one end thereof; ofbrace-legs pivotally secured to said ironing-board and step-ladder bymeans of U-shaped hinge-bars, said U-shaped hinge-bars connecting saidbrace-legs, and means for securing said U-shaped hinge-bars to saidironing-board and step-ladder.

4. A combined ironing-board and step-ladder, consisting of anironing-board and stepladder hingedly attached together, a pair ofbrace-legs, a pair of U-shaped hinge-barsconnecting said brace-legs oneof which is pivotally secured to the step-ladder and the other of whichis pivotally secured beneath the ironing-board, means for securing andadjusting one of said hinge-bars to the ironingboard, and means forsecuring said hingebars to said brace-legs.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

BENJAMIN F. D. MILLER.

lVitnesses:

E. WV. N EWKIRK, OBED C. BILLMAN.

